Capacity Building

Dear ClASS Consultants and Interested Parties:

These updated and revised Administrative and Financial Modules (and accompanying Guidance documents) are based on recent revisions to U.S. government regulations. The 2 CFR 200 OMB Uniform Guidance: Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance) was implemented by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as 45 CFR Part 75. The goal was to streamline guidance for Federal awards to ease administrative burden, strengthen oversight of Federal funds to reduce risks of waste, fraud and abuse, and increase efficiency and effectiveness of Federal awards.

For all trained ClASS Administrative and Finance consultants, we encourage you to review both the new Guidance and Modules in preparation for any future involvement in ClASS assessment activities.

The Everyday Leadership collection of learning and training tools is designed to support global health leaders and managers. The site includes a rich cross section of videos clips and curriculum materialssuitable for use in classroom trainings, distance learning programs, and as tools for self-reflection.

Visit the site to find:

Videos: More than sixty interviews with global health leaders from Africa, India, the Caribbean, Europe, and the United States, organized into two categories: longer profiles in leadership and shorter teaching clips.

Training Resources: Including curricula(presentations, facilitators’ guides, participant manuals, agendas) and other materials for use in training.

Advocacy in Action: A Toolkit to Support NGOs and CBOs Responding to HIV/AIDS

The Advocacy in Action Toolkit aims to support non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) in developing countries to plan and implement effective advocacy work around HIV/AIDS. An overview on advocacy methods that have worked in the past to address HIV/AIDS is also provided, along with guidance on their appropriate use.

Recent Practices in Monitoring and Evaluation

This guide provides program managers with information on measuring institutional capacity, including some tools that measure the capacity of an entire organization as well as others that look at individual components or functions of an organization.

Building Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Systems for HIV/AIDS Programs

Local grassroots organizations represent the frontlines of the battle on HIV/AIDS. Empowering these groups with effective monitoring, evaluation and reporting (MER) tools, will serve to strengthen their approaches and better capture the amazing results of their work. To this end, Pact developed the MER manual to assist local nongovernmental organizations working in HIV/AIDS.

Why Measure Performance

As part of their overall management strategy, public managers can use performance measures to evaluate, control, budget, motivate, promote, celebrate, learn, and improve. Unfortunately, no single performance measure is appropriate for all eight purposes. This article guides public managers through selecting performance measures with the characteristics necessary to achieve each purpose.

Capacity Building for PVOs

Developed by USAID, this guide seeks to help grantees think through their ability and needs in choosing to implement any one technical area of the Child Survival and Health Grants Program (CSHGP). The guide is organized into modules that correspond to the primary technical areas and key cross-cutting areas central to CSHGP. Each module highlights essential elements to be considered when implementing the given intervention or strategy, and important resources that grantees should consult when planning their interventions.

ClASS Model and Methodology Review Findings and Recommendations June 2013

The intention of this study was to identify best practices in organizational capacity assessments and capacity building and to determine if the Clinical Assessment for Systems Strengthening (ClASS) framework follows these best practices. The study was commissioned through the International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH), a collaborative between the University of Washington and the University of California, San Francisco. The study methods consisted of a literature review of 64 articles and books related to capacity building and capacity assessments, and a review of 29 capacity assessment tools to identify best practices in the field. These practices were then compared with the ClASS framework to determine where the ClASS approach conformed with or diverged from best practices.

This study identifies best practices in organizational capacity assessments and capacity building determines whether the Clinical Assessment for Systems Strengthening (ClASS) framework follows these best practices. The study was commissioned through the International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH), a collaborative between the University of Washington and the University of California, San Francisco. The study methods consisted of a literature review of 64 articles and books related to capacity building and capacity assessments, and a review of 29 capacity assessment tools to identify best practices in the field. These practices were then compared with the ClASS framework to determine where the ClASS approach conformed with or diverged from best practices.